That's Peggy Noonan's take:...the giving of the peace prize to President Obama is absurd. He doesn't have a body of work; he's a young man; he's been president less than nine months. He hopes to accomplish much, and so far--nine months!--has accomplished little. Is this a life of heroic self-denial, of the sacrifice of self for something greater, of huge and historic consequence, of sustained vision? No it's not. Is this a life marked by a vivid and calculable contribution to the peace of the world? No, it's not. This is an award for not being George W. Bush. This is an award for not making … [Read more...] about Obama’s Nobel Prize: A Wicked and Ignorant Award
Archives for October 2009
Tim Keller on Counterfeit Gods
Tim Keller's new book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters, is releasing October 20. I previously posted a series of excerpts from Chapter 1, which is outstanding. Here's just one: "Each one has its shrines—whether office towers, spas and gyms, studios, or stadiums—where sacrifices must be made in order to procure the blessings of the good life and ward off disaster. What are the gods of beauty, power, money, and achievement but these same things that have assumed mythic proportions in our individual lives and in our society? We may … [Read more...] about Tim Keller on Counterfeit Gods
Roman Polanski, Hollywood, and Misplaced Outrage
Carson Holloway, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, writes an excellent, insightful reflection on Hollywood's strange indignation at the arrest and possible prosecution of Roman Polanski for raping a girl. Holloway explains that "the embrace of sexual liberation necessarily diminishes our horror for rape." Since Hollywood has wholeheartedly embraced sexual liberation, they must now (logically) stand with Polanski lest they too be guilty:If Polanski is guilty of some terribly immoral act, then Hollywood has itself been guilty of an unseemly (at … [Read more...] about Roman Polanski, Hollywood, and Misplaced Outrage
FOTF Radio Theatre: The Screwtape Letters
This looks really good. Play the Intro video (7:18). The synopsis:In his enduringly popular masterpiece, C.S. Lewis re-imagines Hell as a gruesome bureaucracy. With spiritual insight and wry wit, Radio Theatre's The Screwtape Letters centers on the senior demon Screwtape (Andy Serkis) as he shares correspondence with his apprentice Wormwood. The younger spirit's assignment is terrorizing a man in London during the tumultuous days of World War II.Andy Serkis (an atheist) has an amazing voice -- he played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, among many other theatrical … [Read more...] about FOTF Radio Theatre: The Screwtape Letters
Brian Godawa on A Theology of the Arts
Brian Godawa, award winning screenwriter of To End All Wars and author of Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story & Imagination and the documentary Lines That Divide: The Great Stem Cell Debate, recently gave a message at Tribe Church (an Acts 29 church) in North Hollywood, CA. The message was entitled "Word Pictures: A Theology of the Arts," and was based on his latest book, Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story & Imagination. The full audio of the message is available. … [Read more...] about Brian Godawa on A Theology of the Arts
Interview with Matt Perman on Desiring God
Tim Challies interviews Matt Perman, Director of Strategy at Desiring God. An excerpt:Why do you post everything online for free? When you asked about how Desiring God could serve the readers of this site, I pointed to our website. So it makes sense for me to talk a little bit more about why we post everything for free and how this relates to our view of serving. The call to be God-centered entails a call to serve others before yourself. The two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus said that he came “not to be served, but to … [Read more...] about Interview with Matt Perman on Desiring God